Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

The Batman

Underwhelming and felt rather pointless. It was basically like every other Nolan film, except the main characters seem like they are all in their early 20s. The Riddler's masterplan was really badly fleshed out and woefully delivered. I also hated the fact that none of the villains were interesting or sinister. Excellent fight scenes and I like Robert Pattinson. 3/5.

Wake in Fright

Now that's how you do a psychological film of intrigue and zaniness! Extremely unsettling Australian flick from '71. Really enjoyed this and definitely worth a watch. Felt like an accurate portrayal of Ozzies. 4/5.
 
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Vidyoyo said:
Will eventually get round to this. Seems like the type of film you gots to be in the mood for
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It can be a funny film at times and I didn’t feel completely drained at the end but it is a bit of a roller coaster ride.

Tbh a lot the more negative reviews I’ve seen seem to be disappointed the film wasn’t robocop but with nuns. While it does have some of the silliness, violence and erotic stuff that is well know in Verhoeven works, is it in the end imo quite a serious film about Christianity(The guy has written a book on Jesus)

I find some people tend to view Verhoeven as a crude caricature of a crazy director. They view him as someone who makes movies that are so bad they are good and simply all about shocking the audience. When really the reality is the guy is very thoughtful, everything in his films are done for a reason, there is always a purpose with Verhoeven work.

Also should have mentioned the performances were great.
 
Sweet Square said:
It's currently on Mubi. I won't spoil anything but there is a lot of nudity and sex to the point where it might be awkward to watch with other people. I'm a massive Verhoeven fan so I was always going to like this(Imo even if Verhoeven was coked out of his tits, it still doesn't take away from the fact that Dream Girls is a masterpiece)but even with that, it was very good. Reminded me in a way of Pasolini masterpiece - The Bible According To Matthew although I can't see the Vatican endorsing Benedetta. It turns out atheists make the best films about Jesus.
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Virginie Efira is my ultimate MILF fantasy, she was at a festival I was at this weekend but I didn't manage to find the after party she went to, I blew my one shot at her :(

I'll definitely be watching this at some point, I love Verhoeven.
 
Sweet Square said:
I find some people tend to view Verhoeven as a crude caricature of a crazy director. They view him as someone who makes movies that are so bad they are good and simply all about shocking the audience. When really the reality is the guy is very thoughtful, everything in his films are done for a reason, there is always a purpose with Verhoeven work.
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I think it's because Verhoeven combines being a good director with a very critical outlook on society told through multilayered stories on the one hand, with providing fun films full of crude and trashy jokes on the other. It's a rare combination and I think maybe people can't see the former due to the latter. Starship Troopers is the obvious example of this, but it actually applies to a lot of his Hollywood movies - which are what most people know. (His Dutch movies don't quite work the same way actually. Blackbook is nothing like that, for example.)
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Virginie Efira is my ultimate MILF fantasy, she was at a festival I was at this weekend but I didn't manage to find the after party she went to, I blew my one shot at her :(
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:lol:

Tbh I have no idea she is in mid 40’s, she is stunning in the film.

Cheimoon said:
I think it's because Verhoeven combines being a good director with a very critical outlook on society told through multilayered stories on the one hand, with providing fun films full of crude and trashy jokes on the other. It's a rare combination and I think maybe people can't see the former due to the latter. Starship Troopers is the obvious example of this, but it actually applies to a lot of his Hollywood movies - which are what most people know. (His Dutch movies don't quite work the same way actually. Blackbook is nothing like that, for example.)
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Well said. I would like to a some point go back to his Dutch movies.
 
Brian and Charles (2022)​

Jim Archer brings us to rural Wales (oh no!) in this charming little mockumentary revolving around the little untidy world of a awkward ,reclusive inventor named Brian.

The story starts where we're witnesses to Brian's , played by comedian David Earl, ongoing struggles with his eccentricities and loneliness as he embarks on his daily routine of cranking out all sorts of unnecessary inventions/gadgets in his old dishevelled cottage garage that has clearly seen better times, as has he.

In one of his outings he comes up with the idea, as you do, of designing and building a robot.
So, late in the evening Brian escapes to his garage and gets to work on his new project.

Suffice to say Brian successfully builds his robot, named Charles Petrescu played by Chris Hayward, and all sorts of charming and dangerous moments ensues for the two main characters.

In a nutshell, the film is very much a coming of age story for Brian. Charles brightens up his world just as much as he shines a light on Brian's own insecurities in life. There's clearly alot of built up anxiety in Brian's character and his defensive outlook on the world comes to the fore when Charles becomes more inquisitive regarding the new world he's been brought into.

The story doesn't delve into how or why the particular mechanics that make Charles operate work and, for a somewhat visually grounded looking film, that may be a slight issue with some audiences.

The films mockumentary angle also has a few issues. The documentary sensibility and aesthetic seems to go amiss for periods only to comeback almost like a realisation of what its intention from the outset was.

But minor those issues, its a very good film. The narrative is familiar ,granted, and the film is predominately carried by, not only its charm and goofiness, but through is lead characters. Brian is a lost yet understanding and relatable individual and Charles is the blunt but kind simple talking robot and the two bounce off each other rather well throughout the course of the movie.

Overall ,for a 90 minute movie, Brian and Charles a nice and relaxing watch and I recommend it.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
She's insanely hot
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I won’t spoil anything but Efira plays the role of a insanely horney catholic nun very well(The only good type of nun tbh).

Verhoeven is like Lynch, in that he knows the screen power of beautiful women. With its Lynch its Isabella Rossellini, Naomi Watts and Patricia Arquette. With Verhoeven, its Sharon Stone and the lady with 3 tits in the Total Recall.

We are sadly losing this type of real cinema.:(
 
Spider-Man : No Way Home

A pretty entertaining watch, even though the plot on its own wasn't really the best and suffers from a lot of convenience. Story seemed to move on only due to characters being stupid, and sometimes even acting out of character, but if you manage to ignore that and suspend your disbelief, it's a fun watch and high on the entertainment value. Based on that alone I'll give it a high rating. The future of Spiderman after the ending is really interesting to look forward to.

8/10
 
The coolest director of all time turns 64 today.




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The Sea Beast

How To Train Your Dragon meets Pirates of the Carribbean in this impeccably animated adventure from director Chris Williams.

Karl Urban and Jared Harris lead the cast, and while the story doesn't break new ground, it's a mightily impressive production and you can guarantee any kids in your life will love it.

8/10
 
Moonfall

I read the reviews on here and on imdb and was expecting to hate it, but I did not, yeah it had its plot holes, like the mobile phones working, but on the whole I enjoyed it.
OK It is like all the disaster movies you have ever seen molded into one 2hs+.
The story behind it I thought was brilliant, I want to know more about who built the moon, who seeded the earth.
They had material to make a 10/10 film here but somehow messed it up. Special fx are awesome and it is spectacular. No ,it will never get Oscar for acting or original script
Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson , I thought were good, John Bradley has the nerdy geek was also good.
While it was no classic and if you like disaster film, I think its worth the time watching it, just ignore the plot holes, make some pop corn and watch

6/10
 
The Lost City - okish rom com with Sandra Bullock as a romance novelist who gets abducted and put onto an adventure in the jungle with her book cover model Channing Tatum. There’s some decent cameos from Brad Pitt and Daniel Radcliffe, but it’s a bit of a meh movie overall. 5/10

Nightmare Alley - just a superb movie. The cinematography, the characters, the motives and real consequences of actions taken and the dirty noir feel overall. It feels like you’re lifting up a rock to see what filth is hidden underneath. Bradley Cooper plays a grifter who lives and learns the way of the carnies (carnival folk). He eventually chances his way to a polished clairvoyant act in richer circles, and then bites off more than he can chew. I won’t ruin what happens from then on it, but it’s a great movie. Acting is phenomenal, and the cast is top notch. Care Blanchett is mesmerising, but there’s also some great performances from Toni Collette, Willem Defoe, Rooney Mara and Ron Perlman. 8.5/10
 
Really couldn't get into Nightmare Alley. Felt Cooper was terribly miscast.

And I really don't like the look of GDT movies over the last decade. The light is too artificial, the colours are too saturated and the darkness is too gloomy. The elements feel like they're in a constant fight against eachother.

But since Pan's Labyrinth I've been very indifferent on his work. Sure he has some visually interesting character concepts and is a good visual world creator but he tends to lead the audience on a familiar narrative path.

In general I find his recent works are like high budgeted, overlong Twilight Zone episodes and he's still living off the hype of his earlier works such as Devil's Backbone, Crono's and Labyrinth, which are all terrific films.
 
Nightmare Alley was transparent as feck, both me and my sister were bored to tears watching it. Didnt work at all for us. Been a while since I watched a movie that felt like a chore.
 
Interesting divisive takes on Nightmare Alley. I'm with @The Corinthian on this one, I thought it was a beautifully executed film, with a great ensemble cast. It felt like a film that would have been made in a different era, not at all a "nowadays" film if that makes sense.

Then again I'm hardly objective when it comes to GDT, so...
 
Primal Fear

What a way for Ed Norton to introduce himself, amazing performance. The film was on the verge of being scrapped until he auditioned and nailed the part. Laura Linney and Richard Gere were also excellent but Ed stole the show.

8.5/10
 
The Black Phone

Not a bad little thriller. I quite like Ethan Hawke as an actor and the kids were not annoying in this. Especially liked the potty mouthed sister of the main character. That mask will probably end up being iconic.
 
FrankDrebin said:
Really couldn't get into Nightmare Alley. Felt Cooper was terribly miscast.

And I really don't like the look of GDT movies over the last decade. The light is too artificial, the colours are too saturated and the darkness is too gloomy. The elements feel like they're in a constant fight against eachother.

But since Pan's Labyrinth I've been very indifferent on his work. Sure he has some visually interesting character concepts and is a good visual world creator but he tends to lead the audience on a familiar narrative path.

In general I find his recent works are like high budgeted, overlong Twilight Zone episodes and he's still living off the hype of his earlier works such as Devil's Backbone, Crono's and Labyrinth, which are all terrific films.
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It’s a noir movie, so you’d expect the colour palette to be darker, and shadowy.

The movie did sag a little, mainly when Cate Blanchett’s character was introduced, but overall, I thought it was great.


fergosaurus said:
Primal Fear

What a way for Ed Norton to introduce himself, amazing performance. The film was on the verge of being scrapped until he auditioned and nailed the part. Laura Linney and Richard Gere were also excellent but Ed stole the show.

8.5/10
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Great movie and fully agree. 90s/early 00s Ed Norton was something else.
 
The Corinthian said:
It’s a noir movie, so you’d expect the colour palette to be darker, and shadowy.

The movie did sag a little, mainly when Cate Blanchett’s character was introduced, but overall, I thought it was great.



Great movie and fully agree. 90s/early 00s Ed Norton was something else.
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American History X & 25th Hour are stellar films.
 
XX: Beautiful Beast(1996)

“Erotic” Japanese action movie about a woman looking for revenge. Fun watch with some cool shots of 90’s Tokyo and soundtrack that is made up of two songs. Kaori Shimamura brings a screen presence and there are some interesting uses of colour.

It had one long sex scene and another scene where a woman pisses a river all down her leg but I guess some people are into that. Anyways it’s up on YouTube.

Enjoyable watch

7/10
 
calodo2003 said:
American History X & 25th Hour are stellar films.
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100%. He was also great in Rounders and had a decent role in The Score (not well known heist movie with de Niro and one of Marlon Brando’s last roles). He always seems to play a slightly unhinged type of character!
Sweet Square said:
XX: Beautiful Beast(1996)

“Erotic” Japanese action movie about a woman looking for revenge. Fun watch with some cool shots of 90’s Tokyo and soundtrack that is made up of two songs. Kaori Shimamura brings a screen presence and there are some interesting uses of colour.

It had one long sex scene and another scene where a woman pisses a river all down her leg but I guess some people are into that. Anyways it’s up on YouTube.

Enjoyable watch

7/10
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Time stamps? For a friend obv
 
Everything, Everywhere all at once

Cant believe it took me so long to catch this. Easy 10/10 and jumps into any list of top movies of mine. Stunning.
 
The Departed

The most overrated film of all time?

The buck starts and ends at decent entertainment, at best. The premise is stupid with how interlinked they all are. The acting is overdone by almost all parties, which means instead of the gritty thriller it initially seems like trying to be, it ends up coming across as a little daft, which ends up giving off a confusing vibe where you wonder if it is actually meant to be a dark comedy. Nicholson is hard to take seriously. Even Leo, who albeit is pretty good, seems larger than life (even for a Bostoner). Don't get me started on Ray Winstone's accent. Not to mention cliche after cliche.

And while I'm here...why the feck would the psychiatrist agree to go for coffee with the guy who's just gone nuts at her?

I feel like it would have been better if it had just leant more in to the dark comedy route and decided that's what it actually is.
 
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VeevaVee said:
The Departed

The most overrated film of all time?

The buck starts and ends at decent entertainment, at best. The premise is stupid with how interlinked they all are. The acting is overdone by almost all parties, which means instead of the gritty thriller it initially seems like trying to be, it ends up coming across as a little daft, which ends up giving off a confusing vibe where you wonder if it is actually meant to be a dark comedy. Nicholson is hard to take seriously. Even Leo, who albeit is pretty good, seems larger than life (even for a Bostoner). Don't get me started on Ray Winstone's accent. Not to mention cliche after cliche.

And while I'm here...why the feck would the psychiatrist agree to go for coffee with the supposed criminal who's just gone nuts at her?
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Just try and watch the original if you can, Infernal Affairs, far better.

I love Marti's work in general but The Departed, alongside his Cape Fear, is a rather pointless remake.

I find Cape Fear, Shutter Island, The Departed and Gangs of New York comfortably his poorest films.
 
The Corinthian said:
It’s a noir movie, so you’d expect the colour palette to be darker, and shadowy.

The movie did sag a little, mainly when Cate Blanchett’s character was introduced, but overall, I thought it was great.
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I love Noir, but abandoned this, which is so rare for me. Didn’t like how it made me feel. So I certainly can’t say that it’s a bad movie. But I really didn’t like it.

Feels like I’m on the other side of the fence to when I hold up Uncut Gems as Art, and others tell me it’s an anxiety inducing mess.
 
Visions of Ecstasy(1989)

Another movie about a hot nun having dreams about Jesus. Cool short film that annoyed tories.

7/10
 
VeevaVee said:
The Departed

The most overrated film of all time?

The buck starts and ends at decent entertainment, at best. The premise is stupid with how interlinked they all are. The acting is overdone by almost all parties, which means instead of the gritty thriller it initially seems like trying to be, it ends up coming across as a little daft, which ends up giving off a confusing vibe where you wonder if it is actually meant to be a dark comedy. Nicholson is hard to take seriously. Even Leo, who albeit is pretty good, seems larger than life (even for a Bostoner). Don't get me started on Ray Winstone's accent. Not to mention cliche after cliche.

And while I'm here...why the feck would the psychiatrist agree to go for coffee with the guy who's just gone nuts at her?

I feel like it would have been better if it had just leant more in to the dark comedy route and decided that's what it actually is.
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Overacting 101 - I did not like it at all.
 
Ray Winstone and that cnut who plays Kingpin nowadays obviously know some dark Hollywood secrets. Awful actors and just the worst part of any feature they're in.
 
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